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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28799064">Simple</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalArmMagnets/pseuds/MetalArmMagnets'>MetalArmMagnets</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My First Kiss (Went a Little Like This) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Leverage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e10 The 12-Step Job, F/M, M/M, No plot change sort of a coda to two events in the episode, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:20:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,143</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28799064</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalArmMagnets/pseuds/MetalArmMagnets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>If you could add in one moment where they kissed and it was never mentioned again in canon, where would you place it? Because for me, it's the 12-Step Job.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My First Kiss (Went a Little Like This) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2251458</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>100</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Simple</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>14:17</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>It was supposed to be simple. Check the car for the stolen cash and head back to check on Nate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bomb under the seat was not part of the plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, stay, stay, stay!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot hated bombs, he could identify them and even build them if necessary but defusing? He could give it a go with enough time and low stakes, but for the most part if people weren’t involved he was all for the ‘getting the hell out of dodge’ approach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And this wasn’t just some stranger in a hostage situation, this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hardison.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hardison who made jokes he barely understood but always appreciated and saved his ass over and over again, even when they were practically strangers. Hardison was his friend. His friend who was sitting on top of a bomb that was no longer just engaged but counting down from two minutes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d lost people before, and been in arguably tougher situations, but bombs weren’t people. Eliot couldn’t threaten, grift or fight a bomb, they were unfeeling pieces of machinery, and succeeded where almost every hired gun failed. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>scared</span>
  </em>
  <span> him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a computer, and Hardison knew computers. He had to trust him, but logic and his brain appeared to be going through a messy divorce as he tried desperately to get his body under control. Hardison knows computers, and he trusts you to have his back. Eliot breathed and glanced at the other man through the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hands felt suddenly estranged from his body. His nerves, usually steadfast, even when faced with the world’s deadliest killers, failed him now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Half a second</span>
  </em>
  <span> he repeated over and over as he reached to grasp the wires. He had to get it right. </span>
  <em>
    <span>For Hardison</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>for Hardison</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” The answer was clipped and a poor attempt to hide the building panic that threatened to close his throat completely. His mind drifted briefly to Parker, wondering if she’d miss them when she found out their simple investigation had gone up in flames. He snapped back into the present and closed his grip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled and jumped back, prepared to duck out immediately if something had gone wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited a beat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And another one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The car was intact and Hardison was out of the car and safe, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>safe</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hardison-” once again he felt estranged from his limbs as he moved towards the other man, and without thought, without consideration of analysis he pulled him close with the same hands that shortly ago pulled the wires and kissed him. A rush of adrenaline and shear relief that he hadn’t lost another to an end coated with ash and burning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Eliot's surprise, Hardison grasped at his shirt, not in any attempt to free himself, but it seemed as an attempt to verify that this was real, that he was alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pulled apart with shaking breaths, and Eliot found himself unable to look higher than Hardison’s lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eliot,” the word ghosted past Hardison’s lips like a prayer, and for the first time in years Eliot found himself on the cusp of believing in something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A car screeched into the parking lot and Eliot jumped to action, ducking under the car to grab the, temporarily disabled, bomb before rejoining Hardison’s side. They made eye contact, a silent agreement to write off the kiss as a traumatic adrenaline side effect. They had bigger problems to deal with.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>39:55</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>In terms of the threats, disasters and generally strange events that had happened to Eliot today, Parker taking a running leap at him grinning wider than the cheshire cat was one of the better ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was odd, seeing Parker so… well, so happy. Not that she didn’t laugh or smile, but she was always reluctant to physically touch people. She reminded Eliot of a cat, standoffish but would edge closer to you until she was a breath away from making contact. He never pushed, hell they still barely knew each other, but somehow he trusted her implicitly, without hesitation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he knew that she did the same, proving it when she’d jumped off the second floor balcony and trusting him to catch her. He was annoyed then, but the smell of leather from her cap had lingered with him longer than he would ever admit out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His arm brushed Hardison’s as they both reached around to steady the giddy thief. He pulled away slightly to catch Parker’s belongings but he soon found himself pulling her close again. He made eye contact with Hardison who grinned broadly and he returned a wry smile as they maneuvered her to the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hardison let go first and grabbed the plastic bag from him, moving towards the trunk. Eliot opened the door to the backseat, gently placing his hand on Parker’s hip to spin her round. She sat down without fuss but before he could pull back, he found himself being pulled into a gentle kiss. It was brief and ended with a breathy laugh from Parker as she stroked his face once before releasing him completely with a satisfied “hmm,” swiveling to face the front.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot’s head spun. Meeting Hardison’s gaze for what felt like the hundredth time that day, he remembered how aggressively he had kissed the other man to prove they had survived. Closing the door on Parker, he compared it to how softly she had met him with a breathy laugh and a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath, he glanced down at his hands, a slight tremble ran through them and, not for the first time, wondered why he got involved in a team that made him feel so vulnerable. Then again, he mused, maybe that’s why he was so willing to fight for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pulling open the passenger door, he slid into the car, noticing that Parker was moving back, as if seconds before she had been leaning over into the front of the car. Haridson’s grip was tight on the steering wheel, and his voice feigned calm as he asked, “So where to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot was good at seeing things, and even better at putting pieces together, but with Parker it always felt as if there was a piece missing. He wondered if she held it, stolen from the picture until it was ready to be completed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should take her home, make sure she doesn’t get into any more trouble.” Eliot was proud of how steady his reply was, glancing back at Parker, who was looking out of the window at the trees, still with the glossy smile. “Hopefully Nate’s right about those happy pills wearing off by tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Business as usual.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, maybe something simple next time,” even as he said it, Eliot knew that a simple life would never come easy with friends like his.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've actually been trying to write a mammoth Leverage fic for months now and it's spiraled into literally half a seasons worth of content. But I had this idea latch onto my brain and bashed it out in a couple of hours. If you want to tell me where you would have the trio kiss once and not speak about it again please let me know in the comments I'd love to hear your Thoughts™</p><p>Come yell at me on tumblr if you want I need more leverage friends <a href="https://bisexualeliotspencer.tumblr.com/">bisexualeliotspencer</a></p><p>Also shout out to my beta reader who also loves leverage so go check her out at <a href="https://ishouldprobablychangemyusername.tumblr.com/">ishouldprobablychangemyusername</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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